Fishing Spray Lakes Reservoir, in Southern Alberta.

Fishing Spray Lakes Reservoir

Ah Spray Lakes Reservoir, such a beautiful slice of landscape. Located only a short drive from Calgary and just up the hill from Canmore, it’s kind of a hidden gem unless you already know about it. Fishing Spray Lakes is one of my favourite summer activities, combined with music, beer, campfire and friends of course. Spray Lakes Campground is located on the shores of the reservoir, and it’s suitable for both RVs and tents. The campground shuts down in September, but fishing is open all year.

• Google map directions: http://goo.gl/maps/rfnAQ 

Fishing Spray Lakes reservoir can be pretty hit or miss, I’ve found, but perhaps I just suck at fishing haha. Doesn’t matter, still love it! A bad day out fishing is better than a good day in the office, as they say. Driving through during the dead of winter is very peaceful and refreshing, plus you can ice fish it! Try it sometime, the entire Spray Valley is gorgeous any time of year. Alberta Parks keep the roads accessible (for most vehicles) all throughout the year.

A photo I took of a friend while he was fishing for zee fishes. We didn’t catch anything at this spot, but it made for a pretty cool photo. He actually got it printed out and framed! Note about the hat colour.. this photo was from 2014 so it’s okay :Þ

Here’s a panorama of this same spot, in the winter.

Fishing Regulations For Spray Lakes Reservoir

As always make sure to check the current and up to date fishing regulations before you head out. That said, the fishing regs for Spray Lakes have not changed in a while.

• 5 lake trout of any size (all Bull Trout must be released)
• 5 mountain whitefish over 30cm

Spray Lakes is fairly deep so the size of the lakers can get pretty huge! I personally haven’t caught one of those babies yet, only a couple of small pan fry sized (released). My buddy Louis caught a nice pair of Calvin Kleins though.

Spray Lakes is actually a pretty nice place to spend a weekend camping too. At only $26/night, it’s quite busy in the summertime (people camp there without even fishing!! – crazy). More info on the Alberta parks website. The area is frequented by bears, but you should be okay! Also, there are lots of nearby trails for mountain biking and hiking.

The water is extremely cold too, which makes for a great beer cooler.

Ice Fishing Spray Lakes

A photo of the time I went ice fishing on Spray, from the early morning of October 5th 2014. I took the picture, so that’s not me, that’s Dustin! He was setting up the holes for the day. It was like -30’C and we did not have a shelter.. and it was very windy.. so it was not exactly warm and cozy, but whatever. Love fishing.

We did not catch anything. No bites, no nibbles. We had traps in addition to our lines. Maybe not a good spot? Dunno. I’d love to go back and defeat this damn lake.

Other Fishing Around Calgary

If fishing Spray Lakes isn’t your thing, I’ve put together several other suggestions on places you can fish around Calgary. Check it!

Fishing around Calgary and Southern Alberta

Conclusion

Fishing Spray Lakes Reservoir is a lot of fun, but I don’t usually catch much. Any tips or suggestions on how to catch more Trout while fishing Spray Lakes? Please leave them in the comments below!